Drilling-gear.



S. l. MATHEWS.

DRILLING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.1o.1911.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

A TTORNE Y.

SAMUEL J'. MATHEWS, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 B & B MANUFAC-TURING- AND DRILLING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

DRILLIN G- GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, A1919.

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J Mn'rrrnws, a citizen of the United States,resldlng at Kansas City` in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drilling- Gears, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in well drilling gear, and myobject is to provide simple but eicient means to retain a iuid in thegear housing and prevent the entrance of water to the motors arrangedwithin said housing for the purpose of driving the drilling tool and itsshaft.

Inorder that the invention may be fully understood, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a well with my gear in positiontherein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, broken section on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, broken section on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, broken section on line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention, I provide a suitable housing consisting,preferably, of a plurality of sections 1, 2. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8connected by nipples 10, so that access may be had to any of thebearings 12. in which the tool drive shaft 14 is journaled. Said shaft14 is driven by electric motors 16, any number of which may be employed.

The lower portion of the section 3, has a transverse partition 17`provided with an Y opening 18.through which lubricating oil,

insulating oil, or a combination of both may be introduced. Normally theopening 18 is closed by an air-tight plug 20, to relieve the top of thecolumn of oil of atmospheric pressure.

In order that all of the sections from the partition 17 to the section8, inclusive, may be filled with oil, ports 22 are formed in thebearings 12, so that as the oil is introduced through the opening 18, itwill flow through the ports 22 until all of said sections are lled tothe partition 17. I

The oil is prevented from escaping through the lowermost bearing 12 bypacking 25 and a gland 26.

Traps 27 and 28 are applied to that portion of the shaft 14 extendingthrough the sections 7 and 8. Each trap comprises a container 30, fixedto the shaft, and a baie or sleeve 31 depending from the adjacentbearing 12, as disclosed by Fig. 4.

When introducing the oil into the sections through the opening 18, theair in the latter is displaced by said oil. Hence there will beatmospheric pressure exerted on the oil to retain it in the sectionswhen the plug 20 is closed. However, the packing 25 in the lowermostbearing 12 soon becomes worn sufficiently to admit air into the section8, but since this air is at atmospheric pressure it tends to prevent theoil from leaving the lowermost container 30.

Should water enter the section 8 through the worn packing, it will flowinto the lowermost container 30 until it reaches the lower end of thebatlie 31, where it remains, owing to its specific gravity being greaterthan that of the oil. Sealing of the oil within the sections insureslubrication for all of the bearings 12 and the shaft 14, and obviatesall danger of damage to the motors from water, as the latter iseffectually excluded from the sections or chambers containing saidmotors.

In practice, the trap 27 is found eiiicient in retaining the oil andexcluding water, but as a precautionary measure I also employ .thesecond trap 28.

The uppermost section 1 is supported by a swivel member 35, which isconnected to a cable (not shown), employed in raising and lowering thehousing, and in order that said swivel 35 may be constantly lubricatedwhere it extends through the upper portion of the section 1, and waterexcluded from the section, I provide said section with a trap 36embodying a container 37 fixed to the swivel 35, and a baffie 38,threaded into the section 1. Should water in the well reach a level withthe top of the trap 36, it will pass upwardly therein to the top of thebailie 38 and thus seal the oil, which is lighter than -the water,between the top of said baffle and the adjacent wall of the container37.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have producedeiicient means for lubricating the tool shaft 14 and its bearings, andalso for excluding water from the motors 16, and while I have shown anddescribed the preferred form of my invention, I do not exclude suchchanges in the construction, proportion, and arrangement of parts as poperly fall within the spirit and scope ofthe claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is: w 4

1. In a drilling gear 'of the character described, a housing containinga lubricant, and means Vsecured to the drilling gear to retain saidlubricant in said houslng.

' 2. In a drilling gear of the character described, a housing containinga lubricant,

and a container 'secured to theldrilling gear` to retain the lubricantin said housing.

3. vIn a drillin gear of the character described, the com ination of asui-table cutting means, a motor for driving said cutting means, ahousing in which said motor is mounted, 'a column of lubricant in saidhousing,- and means coactin With atmospheric pressure to retain the coumn of lubricant in the housing. e'

4:. In 'a drilling gear of the character described, the combination `ofa suitable cutting tool, a motor for driving said cutting tool, ahousing in whichn said motor is mounted, a column of lubricant in saidhousing, and a container at the lower portion of the houslng to retainsaid lubricant in said housing.

5. In a drilling 'gear' of the character described, a housing containinga fluid, and a container secured to the dril ing gear to retain thefluid in said housing.

6. In a-drilling gear of the character described, the combination of acutting tool, al

suitablydriven shaft for actuating said tool,

a housing in :which said shaft is journaled, a

column of liquid in said housing, and a trap surrounding the shaft andarranged n the `housing to retain the liquid therein.

ing a fluid, a vertical 7. In a drilling gear of the characterdescribed, the combination of a cuttingtool, a suitably driven shaft foractuating said tool, a housing in which said shaft is journaled, acolumn of liquid in said housing, a-tubular member Within the housingand surrounding va portion of the A.ing a Huid, a vertical shaft,extending through a 'wall of said chamber, a sleeve attached to thechamber and surroundin the shaft, andpmeans for 'retaining the ilu-1diin the chamber, said means comprising a cupshaped member outside thechamber and embracing the shaft and the end of the sleeve.

10. n apparatus ofthe class described, the combination of an air tightchamber containing a fifuid, a vertical shaft extendin through a wall ofsaid chamber, asleeve attac ed to the chamber and surroundin the shaft,and

'means for retaining the Huid in the chamber,

said means comprising -a cup-shaped member outside the chamber andembracing the shaft and the end of the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature, in the presence of twooWitnesses.

AMUEL J. MATHEWS.

pparatus of the class described, the combmation ofan inclosed chambercontain-

